“Huge…”

“gjfiogfvkdfjds…!”

The large monster—an Ogre—that had noticed Shoot, uttered inhuman words, glaring with fierce eyes.

Ogres are high-level goblin-type monsters, evolved from Hobgoblins. They are also known as Goblin Ogres. They are extremely aggressive, often leading packs of goblins and Hobgoblins to attack villages. They are so strong and dangerous that only advanced mercenaries are permitted to hunt them solo.

This was a formidable opponent for Shoot. This Ogre seemed to be leading a pack of goblins and Hobgoblins; several of them were nearby.

“This guy’ll be tough for me… But it doesn’t seem like he’ll let me escape.”

Despite the tension, Shoot chose not to flee but to engage the Ogre.

Taking the initiative, he charged, using the darkness to circle behind the Ogre. He deeply slashed the Ogre’s right leg with his sword.

“~~~~~~~~~! dsdfurivnnlk!”

The Ogre grimaced in pain but didn't fall, swinging its massive arm at Shoot.

CRASH! “Kuuugh… (What… incredible strength…!)”

Shoot attempted to block with his sword but was overpowered by the immense force, his back slamming against a large tree.

“I can’t fight him head-on…”

Realizing the Ogre's overwhelming strength, Shoot abandoned a direct confrontation and decided to use surprise attacks. First, he eliminated the surrounding goblins, using his agility to disappear from the Ogre's sight and unleashing a powerful electric magic attack from an unseen position.

“““““~~~~~~~~~! ….”””””

The goblins and Hobgoblins, with their low resistance to magic, were easily defeated. The Ogre also took considerable damage.

“ir dfrjfgrvbccb…!!”

The enraged Ogre looked around wildly. Shoot touched the ground, intensely focusing on creating earth magic in his mind, and unleashed it.

BOOM! “~!?”

A massive earth fist, about the size of the Ogre’s head, erupted from the ground, striking the Ogre and sending it flying.

“Not yet…!”

Shoot didn’t relent, recalling techniques from his games, unleashing various magic spells to overwhelm the Ogre. Although the Ogre was badly burned and lacerated, it didn’t show any signs of weakening. Shoot, who had cast numerous spells, was more exhausted.

“(Huff, huff…) I’ve inflicted a lot of damage, but it’s not weakening… Its stamina is far greater than a Hobgoblin.”

Sensing Shoot's presence, the Ogre snapped a tree and threw it at him. Shoot jumped to avoid it, leaping onto the tree and continuing to evade by moving from tree to tree. During this, he acquired a new skill.

“Skill ‘Levitation’? …I can move freely in the air?”

Hesitating while perched on a tree, Shoot finally leaped from a branch into empty space. As he felt himself flying, he found himself standing in mid-air.

“I’m actually floating… amazing.”

Shoot was amazed by this newfound ability. But he quickly shifted his focus back to the battle, looking down at the Ogre. The Ogre hadn't noticed him in the air.

Shoot moved above the Ogre, aiming his sword at its head. He kicked off the air, diving down and plunging his sword into the Ogre’s skull.

“~~~~~~~~~!? xewkjjgbn,… …”

Completely surprised, the Ogre fell forward, its face frozen in a look of shock, and died instantly.

“(Huff, huff…) I… I won. Next time, I want to defeat it head-on…”

Even in games, Shoot preferred direct, powerful attacks to roundabout tactics. He resolved to become even stronger before facing another high-level monster like the Ogre.

But before he could rest, another attacker appeared.

“Whoa, a slime!? And it’s bigger than before!?”

Five slimes emerged from the ground. There were the same light blue slimes as before, but also purple, orange, and pink ones, all the same size as Shoot.

“They’re bigger, and there are many different colors. What’s going on?”

Before Shoot could analyze the situation, a purple slime spat its liquid at him. He dodged easily, but the moment the liquid hit the ground, it sizzled, releasing purple smoke.

“This… looks poisonous. Maybe it really is poison?”

As Shoot suspected, the liquid from the purple slime was highly toxic. This slime was identified as a Poison Slime.

“Um, that orange slime is a… Flame Slime. The pink one is a… a Healing Slime.”

Knowing that various slimes existed in games, Shoot wasn’t overly surprised. In fact, he immediately attacked the Healing Slime.

SLASH, SPLASH… “Oh, my wounds are healing…!”

He stabbed it with his sword, absorbing its liquid. The wounds from the Ogre battle began to close, and his stamina recovered. Just as Shoot rejoiced, a Flame Slime attacked with fire. He quickly countered with water magic, creating a water projectile and vaporizing the Flame Slime.

Finally, he used a blade of fire magic to melt and destroy the Poison Slime.

“I managed to defeat them all… but… are the monsters getting stronger than they were this morning…?”

Muttering to himself, Shoot left the forest, retracing his steps. He encountered a pack of Red Dogs and fought them, struggling more than before.

Unlike games, this world didn’t have a constant power inflation. The monsters were stronger at night; somehow, all monsters in the other world grew stronger at night. The Ogre Shoot fought in the forest was still too strong for him. If they'd fought in the open grassland, Shoot wouldn’t have had any choice but to flee.

As dawn approached, Shoot reached Todd Village. He met Sunny on his way to his lodging. She looked at him and said—

“Excuse me… aren’t you a villager? Are you a travelling merchant?”

She used the same line as their first meeting.

“Um, it’s Shoot.”

“Eh? Shoot-kun was a boy about my height… Seriously?”

“Yes. Seriously.”

Sunny stared at Shoot, speechless.